Welch Allyn honored for environmental stewardship

Rick Fedrizzi, right, president, CEO and founding chairman of the USGBC, presents members of the Welch Allyn team with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certification plaque, which now hangs on a designated wall inside the building. From left are fourth-generation owner Eric Allyn, president and CEO Julie Shimer and Welch Allyn Director of Operations Scott Spanfelner.
Miranda L. Pennock

Skaneateles Falls  Being environmental stewards is far from a fad at Welch Allyn. It’s a way of life.

That message was clear as more than 50 members of the Welch Allyn family, government and media gathered Monday, April 2, in the atrium of the company’s Skaneateles Falls-based global headquarters to celebrate the grand opening of the facility’s addition and newest recognition as a recipient of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

“Facilities that are well designed, like the new Welch Allyn global headquarters building, minimize resource depletion and waste production while improving the environment both inside and outside the building,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chairman of the USGBC. “This is quite an accomplishment for a nearly 100-year-old manufacturer.”

Welch Allyn recently completed a four-year, $35 million expansion and renovation project at its State Street facility, which is home to more than 1,200 employees. Thirty-five companies throughout the Central New York region participated in the design and construction.

LEED, an internationally recognized green building certification system, provides benchmarks for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.

“This is our version of a national championship,” said project manager Scott Spanfelner, who is also Welch Allyn’s director of operations. The project is a “true reflection of our brand, our product and our people,” he added.

Eric Allyn, a fourth generation owner and co-chairman of the board of directors, said since the company’s inception in 1915, each generation has displayed environmental responsibility.

“We’re not being green because it’s popular,” he said, relating the fact his grandfather moved to Skaneateles because of the fishing and created a company that looked out for future generations. “The water had to leave this building cleaner than it came in.”

According to Welch Allyn president and CEO Julie Shimer, though the project included a 55 percent increase in building space, there has only been an 8 percent increase in energy consumption — and water consumption has decreased by 25 percent.